Climate change is altering the number, variety and distribution of plants and animals around the coast of Scotland according to a new report from NatureScot. It’s good news for some sea-snails and barnacles, but not so good for blue mussels and the wildlife that feeds on them. Scientists have been surveying changes in 50 species at 167 locations around the Scottish coast to assess the impact of minute increases in sea temperature.

This week we’re looking at the jobs that fill up farmers’ days in January when there’s not much to harvest and there’s not much growing. Today it’s muck spreading. We visit a beef farm in the Scottish Highlands where the farmer's been cleaning out the cattle sheds, and using the muck to fertilise the fields. However farmers can’t just spread as much muck as they want, anywhere, at any time and because agriculture is a devolved power there are different regulations across different parts of the UK. Nitrate Vulnerable Zones or NVZs are designated in England and Scotland to add additional protection to water courses, and there are broader controls in place across both Wales and Northern Ireland. We talk to a senior lecturer in soil and environmental science about who can spread what, where and when.

Presenter = Caz Graham

There are concerns food production in The United States could be affected by President Trump's plans to deport illegal immigrants, since many thousands of farm employees are living in the US illegally. Donald Trump has said the deportation of criminals and national security threats will be his priority, but hasn't ruled out extending deportations more broadly to include undocumented farmworkers.

It's peak time for getting hedges laid and maintained, before birds start nesting in them in the spring. But the suspension of capital grants from the Government in England, which in many cases pay for that work, could lead to hedgerows being neglected.

Soil has become a buzzword among farmers, conservationists and policy makers...and it turns out artists are getting interested too! We get a sneak peak of a new exhibition on the topic, to find out why.

Presented by Anna Hill

"Too many farmers feel farm assurance is 'done to them' rather than 'delivered with them'." That's the finding of an independent review into farm assurance, which looked at whether schemes like Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured are working well for farmers and supply chains.

A UK decision to ban vessels from catching sandeels in the North Sea is being challenged in court by the EU in the first battle of it's kind since Brexit. Sandeels are small fish which are vital food for protected seabirds like puffins and kittiwakes, and the UK wanted to protect that food source. But the ban is being challenged by the European Union saying it breaches the post-Brexit trade deal.

And January might seem a quiet time on the farm, but we visit one farm in Devon where it's a busy time for weaning, after they calved close to 100 cows in December.

Presented by Anna Hill

There has been a 'lack of progress' from the Scottish Government in implementing reforms recommended for the salmon farming industry, according to MSPs. Members of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee in the Scottish Parliament warned that such delays could be 'detrimental to the long-term viability' of the sector.

Farmer protests against the introduction of inheritance tax are continuing up and down the country, with more planned for the end of the month. But many agree that the row has at least made families talk about what should happen when one generation passes on the farm to the next. Professor Matt Lobley from Exeter University says while around 60% of farmers in their 60s have a successor lined up, the transfer of ownership can be a painful process.

This week we'll be looking at some of the jobs that need to be done at this time of year to ensure the maintenance of the farm all year round. Today it's fencing, vital for keeping animals in, and your neighbours' animals out.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The Climate Change Committee is revising its advice on eating meat. In 2020, the committee - which is the government's advisor on climate change - recommended people cut their intake of beef, lamb and dairy produce by 20% by 2030 and by 35% by 2050, to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses produced by livestock in the UK. But now that could change, in the light of progress to reduce emissions though things like livestock breeding and new technologies on farm.

Farmers are being warned to be vigilant after Foot and Mouth disease has killed several buffalo in Germany. Back in 2001 an outbreak of Foot and Mouth in the UK caused the death of millions of animals, through disease and preventative culling. The UK has temporarily banned imports of German meat and dairy, as well as live cattle, sheep and pigs.

And we visit the the LAMMA machinery show - which took place at the NEC in Birmingham this week - to see some innovations in farm kit, and ask farmers whether they feel ready to invest right now.

Presented by Charlotte Smith

The Climate Change Committee is revising its advice on eating meat. In 2020 the Committee, which is the Government's advisor on climate change, recommended people cut their intake of beef, lamb and dairy produce by 20% by 2030 and by 35% by 2050, to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses produced by livestock in the UK. But the Interim Chair Professor Piers Forster tells us that in light of new technologies, this is being looked at again.

Farmers have to drive change if we're to meet legally binding targets on improving the environment. So says the Office for Environmental Protection in a new report looking at the last government's progress on meeting targets on water quality, air pollution and stopping biodiversity loss. It says England remains largely off track as progress 'slowed' and 'very substantial' challenges remain if targets are to be reached by 2030.

We hear about the workarounds which farmers come up with to keep older machines going.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

The LAMMA 2025 farm machinery show is underway at the NEC in Birmingham - but is anyone buying? Charlotte Smith visits the show to check out the latest in farm machinery and innovation. She takes a look at a new sprayer which can target individual weeds, and finds out why farmers want to play a farming computer game.

She also hears how many farmers are feeling less able to invest in new kit after a difficult year for farming: wet weather hit harvests and incomes, and then October’s Budget saw a surprise acceleration of the phasing out of subsidy payments in England, alongside changes to employers National Insurance and of course the introduction of inheritance tax on farms.

Presented by Charlotte Smith

The UK closes its borders to imports of German meat, as the authorities there tackle an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. Farmers here are told to be vigilant.

Each of devolved nations is designing a new post-Brexit farm payment scheme, to replace the old EU system. They're all moving towards rewarding farmers not for the land they farm, but for providing better habitats for wildlife, flood mitigation, improving soils and carbon at the Oxford Farming Conference.

This week we're taking a look at machinery, a vital but very expensive commodity on the farm. To keep costs down many farmers are now part of the national network of machinery rings, where those with kit can loan it out to other farms that need it.

Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

As England is now the one part of the UK allowed to grow gene edited crops, what does that mean for trade with partners like the EU? We discuss the latest promises on legislation with Northern Ireland's Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs...and a farmer who's growing precision bred crops.

Twenty years ago the idea of robotic milking for cows may have seemed far-fetched, but today it's not uncommon, with an estimated 10% of UK dairy farms using automated systems. We visit a farm in Wales to see the kit in action.

And the creation of new, small abattoirs to replace those we've lost should be supported by Government funding - that's according to the Rare Breed Survival Trust. It comes as Newman's Abattoir in Hampshire is now set to shut its doors at the end of January - the latest in a long line of closures.

Presented by Anna Hill

Farming Today This Week comes from Oxford where two big conferences have been taking place: the Oxford Farming Conference and the Oxford Real Farming Conference. The first is traditionally seen as attended by the established and larger farms, and the Real Farming Conference has wider scope with more smaller farms, organic producers and artisan food producers. Both together represent UK farming as a whole.

A convoy of tractors and farmers with placards staged a protest in Oxford City Centre as Defra Secretary Steve Reed gave his speech to the Oxford Farming Conference. They're angry at plans to change the rules around inheritance tax. This wasn't the focus of Steve Reed's speech; instead he promised a plan for change. He told delegates this must have three things: food production at its core, diversification of income, and restoration of nature as part of farming. He also announced speeding up the planning process for farm buildings. Agriculture's a devolved issue, and farming ministers for the devolved nations gave speeches about what's happening in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

We also report from The Oxford Real Farming Conference, where have similar concerns about the future of their businesses. We speak to the manager, interview an upland farmer about whole farm profitability, and drop in on a session about inheritance tax.

Presenter = Anna Hill